West. Day 37.
- patti brehler
- May 12, 2021
- 3 min read
July 15, 2016
East Missoula to Missoula, Montana
Erika fed me zucchini bread while I laundered my clothes and then offered to drive me to REI to buy new pants for tomorrow's dinner party. I survived the terrorizing freeway speeds. As I packed to cruise the short miles into Missoula (to meet fellow B'76ers Big Dave and Rich), she sent Simon out to give me a turkey sandwich.
Goodbye, my new family!
Outside Great Clips after a much-needed haircut (tufts of hair had been sticking out of my helmet vents like a baby robin's head), a woman about my age asked, "Are you going to the celebration?" She knew all about it and asked about my trip. "It's grand that you rode in from Michigan."
Grand indeed. I had arrived.
On June 13, 1976, our B'76 group had a rest day in Missoula. Forty years later nothing looked familiar, probably because I had no memories of what the town looked like then.
What I did remember: we stayed at the college; we partied at a college bar; a hang-over kept me in bed until after noon; the hot laundromat made my head pound; I picked up new riding shorts at Sam Braxton's bike shop and had him rebuild my rear wheel.
This day, meeting up with fellow B'76ers Big Dave and Rich for an early dinner before the anniversary reception, I felt fine.
Dave and I rode on alone to the B'76 reception and presentation by the ACA without Rich, he had a prior commitment.
Nostalgia took me by surprise.
My original Facebook post:
Postcard from Missoula. July 15, 2016
Imagine, if you will, a world where dreams are revered and everyone has the sense and courage to rope and reel in their dreams. Imagine the happiness in the accomplishment of those dreams.
Tonight, Dan Burden, one of the four founders of Bikecentennial '76 (now the Adventure Cycling Association) addressed a packed hall of more than 600 dreamers. He said this might be the largest group of people collected in one room "who are dreamers that carried out their dreams."
June Siple, another founder, said that bicycle touring teaches (among other things like geography and determination) "how to live and find treasures in the lives we lead ... we can do anything!" She described the gathering as her bicycle tribe.
Greg Siple, yet another founder, said, "You never know what the smallest encounter will bring" as he questioned all the "what ifs" on how a small group of people, beyond all odds, instigated a bicycle movement across the country back in 1976.
There was a lot of happy in the crowd tonight.
Afterward, Dave wanted to scope out the park where he needed to catch a bus the next morning. Riders would be bussed south to various locations along a bike route in the Bitterroot Valley, then ride north to the Travelers' Rest State Park and National Historic Landmark for a ribbon-cutting ceremony--the completion of the last segment into Missoula. From there, everyone would pedal back to the park for a bike expo. I wasn't taking the bus. Instead, I'd ride with Dave to the park and keep riding to the Travelers' Rest.
Dave and I cruised through an older, shady neighborhood that reminded me of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and ran into Dan and Liz Burden walking home from the reception.
"Thank you for Bikecentennial," I said, "and for tonight's presentation." They seemed impressed that I rode from Michigan to be here. I didn't expect Dan to remember me, but I reminded him that we met years ago when he stopped by our bike store. He was traveling the country to promote the development of walkable neighborhoods.
Dave asked a more important question. "Where can we get a good ice cream?"
Dan laughed and gave us directions to the Big Dipper, not hard to find with its long line of friendly customers. Some with dogs! (I got a puppy fix.) My first ice cream of the trip, I didn't know huckleberry was a Montana favorite. It was okay, but I wouldn't ride across the country again for it.
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